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Okay, this post is really for all those who enjoy watching English Tv sitcoms.

I know most of you would agree the best thing about the new Sherlock movie ( or rather both of them ) is not the storyline or direction, but just Robert Downey Junior. Without him, the movies would have been pretty dull, I'd say. He brings that natural charisma which basically turned Iron Man from just another comic book character into a really cool dude.

But what if I were to tell you he isn't the best 'new' Sherlock Holmes around ? Not even close, in fact.

In 2009, BBC released three episodes of a serial called Sherlock. Their version brought Sherlock Holmes into the modern day, replete with cell phones, wireless internet and CSI technicians. Dr John Watson was a Gulf War veteran who blogged Sherlock's adventures to the world and , like many of us, was fixated on his blog hits.

The best part ? Unlike in the movies which took the characters and made their own stories, here they took all the iconic stories from the original books and reinvented them for the modern age. And yet, in the 3 episodes ( Each episode lasted 1.5 hours, akin to a full English movie ) that aired, you couldn't guess the smart twists and turns of the storyline. It was bloody brilliant.

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The major crime they committed ? It was in making the fans wait more than 2 whole years without any new episodes, unlike normal tv serials which have new episodes every year. Finally, a new episode came out at the start of 2012. And you know what ? It's still bloody brilliant.

Benedict Cumberbatch is the Sherlock we always wanted to see. He's characteristically pompous, amazingly smart, not averse to disguises or technology and definitely not averse to hurting people who hurt his friends. You get to see hilariously original reasons for why Holmes wears the iconic deerstalker cap or says iconic phrases we all remember from the books.

Famous characters like Lestrade and Holmes brother Mycroft are given more character - driven roles than even the books demand while Martin Freeman as Watson just nails the role of the sidekick who finds his life being constantly overturned by his dedication to Holmes. Even the psychosis of his arch nemesis Moriarty is presented in such a unique fashion and their final encounter in the season finale wherein the plan to defeat Sherlock Holmes is revealed is just creepy.

There are so many new technologies and characters added but yet, you recognise the essence of the original stories.

For example : In the books, Irene Adler is the one woman Holmes looks upto because of her guile, poise and intellect - not to mention the fact that he could not beat her. In the original story "A Scandal in Bohemia", she held secret love letters of a royal noble, which Sherlock was sent to retrieve.

In the new series ? Well, she's a high profile escort/dominatrix who's stolen information from a 'woman client' from Buckingham Palace and Sherlock has to retrieve the mobile with the stored contents ... which has their own password. He does so, of course... but that's just the first 15 minutes of a 1.5 hour mystery that keeps you guessing right till the very last scene. Infact, the final 15 minutes of this particular episode are among the best conclusions I've ever seen, even for a movie.

I miss having a good old fashioned mystery. Crime shows today are good, no doubt but sometimes you want more than just forensic detail and people who can read facial expressions. And that's where Sherlock has delivered for me. They've taken stories we've known so well, redone the characters for a new generation and presented it so brilliantly.

Having watched the second season's series finale, I can vouch for the fact that each episode is a study in how to adapt a story for the modern era and keep everyone interested.

A remake of a cult Hindi film which was a flop in it's time. A first time director. 3 actors who oscillate between brilliant acting and silly overacting. A movie about Bollywood-style violence.

I was skeptical. I'm not anymore.

I know I tend to be lavish while giving praise but let me say this honestly : Agneepath ( 2012 ) is brilliant for so many reasons.

It is one of the best, if not the best remake I've ever seen.

Rather than go for a scene by scene remake, the creative unit ( director and writer ) have taken the basic theme of a child avenging his father's death at the hands of a drug peddling mob boss and redone the story entirely from there. The first half deals more with Hrithik's scheming rise to the top in Mumbai while the second half takes the battle from Mumbai back to where it all began - the small village/island (?) of Maandva.

Iconic characters like Mithun Chakrabarthy's Krishnan Iyer ( who added humour to the movie ) are done away with and new villians ( Rishi Kapoor ) are added.

Iconic moments : There were many scenes that had the whole audience screaming in delight and sometimes awe/horror. A few of them which come to mind are :

a) The poem that the school master teaches his hot tempered son and how it becomes relevant later on in the movie. ( Trivia : the original poem was written by Amitabh Bachchan's father and was the inspiration for the film's title. )

b) The death of the school teacher is brutal. The camera doesn't turn away from the chaos or horror of the scene.

c) A scene where Hrithik 'questions' a police officer while driving.

d) A scene where someone Hrithik cares for is literally being auctioned and the police are barricaded and how it is resolved.

e) The scene immediately following the 'Chikni Chameli' song. It's not at all what you expect.

The very fact that Chikni Chameli, though being great, doesn't come in my Top 8 moments of the movie should tell you how much I enjoyed this movie.

Rishi Kapoor reinvents himself after 4 decades in Bollywood into a role noone expected and one he did amazingly well - an absolute lowlife indulging in child prostitution and drug smuggling.

Sanjay Dutt's opening scene felt a little hammy to me but over time, you realise just how menacing and creepy the character is. By sheer size alone, he towers over Hrithik and is a great villian - both physically and cerebrally - to compete with.

Priyanka's role is limited but she does well. Her smile and determined love for her man is endearing.

Other characters like Hrithik's family and Om Puri are brief but well essayed, but give a round of applause to the man himself.

Hrithik has outdone himself this time. Rather than try to emulate Amitabh Bachchan, he's decided to do his own take of a younger,more blood thirsty and manipulative Vijay Chauhan and it works brilliantly. I almost want to say "Give him the damn Filmfare trophy for the 2013 awards already". He's brought back the angry young man in style.

The action is brutal at times, with very little to laugh about. The songs were okay, Chikni Chamile being the obvious standout , though the Deva song also was well picturised. Cinematography stood out both for the indoor scenes as well as the shoot in the village. Even in the few moments where light hearted banter prevails, you sense that the director is just easing his foot off the accelerator for a few minutes and we're soon going to be back to the thrill/rage/tension that envelopes the key characters.

That's the mark of a really good director. Hats off, Mr Karan Malhotra. You've shown seasoned directors how a remake should be done.

Coming back to Pune was a double blessing for me.
I got to meet my old staff and residents ( more details in an upcoming post ) and also, I got to be a part of an experience I never thought was possible in my life.

I got to be part of a book launch as an author.

Urban Shots : Bright Lights and Crossroads was released in Pune on January 20, 2012.
The function was held at Landmark in Phoenix Mall in Pune, an amazing mall that by sheer size dwarfs any other mall I've ever been to in my life.

To put things in perspective, I was there for 5 hours with my friends and we didn't even get to see 20% of the whole mall.

Anyway, the book launch was a fun affair .
Moderated by Ms Lipi Mehta of dfuse.in, the panel included :

Best selling authors like Paritosh Uttam and Ahmed Faiyaz ( both of whose previous short stories were premiered as short films at the event. ),

Upcoming novelists like Mr Jhangir Kerawala

A wide variety of first timers including Malcolm Carvalho, Anita Satyajit and myself.

There was an interactive session for the authors of both books after which came another first for most of us - the autograph session. Having signed endless case sheets over the years as a doctor, it still feels weird to see people coming up to you for a signature.Overall, it was an amazing experience for us all.
Now, coming to the most important part... how good are the books ?

I had the time to read these books as I returned from Pune and I can assure you - you will love these collections of short stories.
India really has a rich talent of writing - this is evident to all of us from the blogs we read everyday. Whether it is humour, heartfelt sentiments or silky prose, these books have it all thanks to the wide variety of authors and their unique styles. I really believe there is a great future for short story collections in India and the Urban Shots series has really tapped into a goldmine here.

The variety is all-encompassing : Randomly selecting chapters from Bright Lights, these are the first 6 that came up.

A couple cheating on each other with other lovers leading up to a hilarious climax ( Namita Nair's Double Mixed ),

A mom missing her child after he's gone abroad ( Ahmed Faiyaz's Across the Seas ),

A love story with a twist between a security guard and an office hottie ( Meena Bhatnagar's Cats and Sponges ),

An American basketball star coming to an Indian barbershop for a unique haircut ( R Chandrasekar's The Peacock Cut ),

The best way to reply to the "you've won a million dollar" email scams ( Mydhili Varma's The Pig in the Poke )

These are just 6 of the 29 wonderful stories in this book.

Speaking in baseball terms, if the first Urban Shots was a hit to first base and a good beginning, these two collections are absolute home runs. The variety of stories, the themes, the unique styles - I personally felt they all gelled together better this time around.

And early opinion online and from fellow readers seems to concur with my own. Readers I've interacted with genuinely did like the books. Of course, I'm gonna be personally biased to Urban Shots : Bright Lights as opposed to Urban Shots : Crossroads ( Team Chottu vs Team Kainaz, as I call them, based on the covers ) as my own story is in it.

The book launch of the next two parts in the URBAN SHOTS series ( Crossroads and Bright Lights ) is finally upon us. Featuring both accomplished as well as first time authors, the Urban Shots series deals with stories from everyday life that we can all relate to and enjoy.

The dates and venues for the book launch are as provided below :

19 Jan 2012 - 7 pm, Landmark, Infiniti Mall, Andheri, Mumbai

20 Jan 2012 - 7 pm, Landmark, Phoenix Marketcity, Pune

21 Jan 2012 - 5 pm, Reliance Time Out, Cuningham Road, Bangalore

There are also possible events in February in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Goa which may coincide with the launch of Urban Shots : Love Collection.

Hope to see you all guys and gals there. It'll be fun, I assure you. I know all the authors, myself included, are looking forward to meeting you.

She picked up on the fifth ring. Every single time, he chuckled to himself. Call it a crazy coincidence but she always picked up on the fifth ring. How was that even possible,he wondered ? I mean, sure, he could hear the number of rings from his end of the phone but she would be hearing that tacky ringtone of hers, right ? Tum to Tehre Pardesi... Of all the songs in the world, she had to choose Altaf Raja !! The tragedy king of tragedy songs !! Heck, he thought, Altaf Raja himself probably had Bappi Lahiri as his ringtone.

"Hello?" he could hear the sound of traffic behind her. She was travelling somewhere. "Ankit Sir? Ankit Sir ? I can't hear you."

He smiled. He found himself smiling a lot around her these days. Nine months ago, he'd been the senior in charge of 'welcoming' her batch to the college. Of all the girls around in that batch of freshers, he never thought he'd develop a crush on her. I mean, there were prettier girls, there were richer girls... but as he had come to realise over the last month or so, there was only one Navya. Of all the girls in that batch, she was the only one who he felt truly comfortable with. They both shared the same taste in music and movies. She loved talking about any topic under the sun ( admittedly, not a unique feature but it was more fun with her ) . She was smart, yet knew not to be oversmart like some of her batchmates. Over the last month or so, they'd ended up going out in the same gang frequently as her cousin Dhanya was going around with his pal, Suresh. Still, today was different. Today was THE day. He wished he'd prepared better instead of banking on his own spontaneity to carry him through.

"Hi Navya. Can you hear me ?"

"Ya. I'm in the bus right now, Sir. But you tell..."

"Navya, listen."

"Ya ?"

"The new Abhishek Bachchan picture is releasing this week." He knew she liked Abhishek. He preferred Hrithik Roshan's new movie himself but for some weird reason, she liked Abhishek better.

"I know."

"I'd gotten tickets for it for Friday noon and I was wondering..."

"What ? I can't hear you ?"

"I said I have tickets for the new Abhishek Bachchan movie. Friday noon show. I was wondering if you wanted to come... "

"Sure. I'd love that. Awesome,sir."

"There is one problem. You'll have to bunk class. I know how important attendance is to you girls... after all, if you don't get 100% attendance, what will mummy pappa say ? Who will marry a girl with 80% attendance, na ?" he teased.

"Kya sir. That's not a problem. Priya will give proxy as usual, sir."

"Call me Ankit, no."

"Ok sir" She giggled.

"Great"

"I'll come with Dhanya and meet you guys there then, ok ?"

"Uh..."

He bit his lip. This was gonna be awkward."Uh, Navya ? They're not coming."

"Why is that, sir ?"

"See, I only got two tickets and I was thinking maybe you and I ..." his voice trailed off, letting her see the full implications of his statement. He waited a few seconds as the sounds of traffic invaded his ears through the phone.

"Navya ? You there ?"

"Sir... "

"Ya.."

"Don't think bad of me sir but I may have other plans on that day."

"Oh. No. Not at all."

"I forgot all about it till just now. I have to meet a friend for some stuff."

"Ya ya.. of course. Stuff. Of course. I understand."

"In fact, I was going to meet him for that only now." Him. HIM ?

"Not a problem at all ya. I just had an extra ticket so I simply asked like that."

"Okay sir... Uh. I've to get down from the bus sir. I'll talk to you later."

"Ya, sure. Okay. Bye."

Dammit, he screamed inside his head. He'd made a complete ass of himself there. He should have found a more subtle way to ask her out. Now she knew and it would be really embarrassing when they next met. Damn !! What if she told Dhanya ? Dhanya would tell Suresh. Everyone would know he'd asked her out and she'd turned him down. Oh man. And who was this "him" she was talking about ? Had somebody already asked her out before him ? That would be just like his luck. To finally find a girl worth asking out and then find out some other jackass had asked her out the day before.

What ya, God ? I don't even bug you during exam times nowadays. Just for this one thing I asked your help and you screwed it up. As it is, it looks like you have no idea what you're doing. Sachin isn't scoring his 100th century. All the good singers and artists you're taking and politicians you're leaving behind here. Anna Hazare isn't eating but his gang is growing fatter. Small small things like this also you can't manage to do. Kuch tho sharam kar... Do something right in the world.

The doorbell rang, interrupting his personal monologue. He looked at his watch. Wow. Had it already been 30 minutes since he'd called her up ? Time sure flew when you were in a rotten mood. He stayed in his bed, making no move to get up.

The bell rang again. He already knew who it was. Mr Gupta had told he'd come by in the evening to collect the flat rent. At the third ring, he realised that he wasn't leaving and got up. Another long ring.

"OK OK. Stop ! I'm coming." he called out.

Just as he reached the door, the bell rang again. "I SAID I'M COMING" he bellowed.

Five rings. Ironic. Very funny, God. He opened the door. "I'm sorry Mr Gupta, I really don't have the rent right now..." his voice trailed off.

She stood in front of him smiling. "Sir. I have two tickets for the Hrithik Roshan movie. Friday noon show."

He smiled , his mouth wide open. She continued.

"There is one problem. You'll have to bunk class... I know how important attendance is to you boys... after all, if you don't get 100% attendance, what will mummy pappa say , na ? Which girl will come for boys with 50 % attendance ?"

His smile had now broken out into a full fledged grin, but still his voice failed him.

"Arrey Sir. Tell fast. Just now, I got a call from a college mate also asking me to come with him for that chuk-aduuu Abhishek's movie. If you don't want to come, I'll call him and say yes."

The grin finally gave way to a laugh. She laughed with him.

And just like that, all was well with the world again.

Well, except for Mr Gupta, who didn't get his rent money that weekend.

He didn't return empty-handed though. He did learn a new fact that Friday. Apparently, the price of a tub of caramel popcorn, two ice cream sundaes and two large Pepsis was practically a quarter of his rent, he was reliably informed.